This success of EPCOR's governance model has delivered significant value to the shareholder. EPCOR's annual dividend has grown from $62 million to $177 million – and despite market transformations, a financial crisis, and a global pandemic, the annual dividend has never been cut.
The board is responsible for the overall stewardship and governance of the company, delivering long-term value to our shareholder and ensuring we provide clean water and safe reliable energy to our customers, and foster success with all our stakeholders.
EPCOR is committed to demonstrating leadership in corporate governance, and continuously reviews and improves our governance systems to ensure they meet or exceed the standards of evolving securities, regulatory and market environments.
EPCOR’s commitment to sound governance and leadership in sustainability was further demonstrated in 2021. This was seen through an elevated profile placed on our ESG agenda, at both the executive level and throughout our long-term plan. 2021 also brought significant investment approvals for major projects and priorities, and continued growth in our U.S. and Canada operations all with a focus on providing reliable services to a growing base of customers, in a responsible and sustainable manner.
Following the launch of our 25 measures and 17 targets in 2020, oversight for our ESG agenda was designated to a member of our senior leadership team and our commitments were widely promoted across the organization. Moving forward, EPCOR’s Senior Vice President, Sustainability, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary will drive our cross-organizational approach to sustainability, ensuring shared ESG responsibilities are ingrained in both our operations and culture — demonstrating care for the future of our environment, our dedicated teams, and the communities we serve.
See our statement of corporate governance practices and features